Order of Varani

The Order of Varani is a secretive organization of preternaturally-gifted warriors. They are an ancient interstellar quasi-religious institution with a kraterocratic agenda focused on strength, cunning, and ambition.

The membership of the Order consists of those who pursue and wield the powers known as the Black Link, which centers around aggressive use of the Ambience - a reservoir of vitalistic power that permeates the entire galaxy - to dominate, command, and control those around them. The Varani philosophy focuses on strength, rule of the strong over the weak, and the belief that might makes right.

Individual Varani are characterized by their ambition and ongoing pursuit of power. They likewise are driven by a desire to oppose and destroy the Order of Pracado – a organization that is philosophically opposed to the Varani. They are commonly described as amoral, sadistic, vindictive, and violent.

Varani who complete their training are granted the honorific "Set" and given a new name to commemorate their achievement, and to symbolize their severing the ties of their past life.

Throughout galactic history, the struggle between the Pracado and Varani has gone on behind the scenes, obscured from the awareness of "the mundanes", the term by which sentient beings who are incapable of sensing or using the Ambience (which is the majority) are known. The existence of both orders is largely absent from common awareness with prevalence only as a myth. This ongoing conflict is known as the Hidden War.

Though only a handful know of his affiliation, the most prominent member of the Order is Emperor Tuscano, ruler of the Galactic Empire.